BRIGANTIA IS A TRIPLE GODDESS WHOSE NAME MEANS "QUEEN" OR "HIGH ONE". SHE WAS THE ANCESTRAL GODDESS OF A GROUP OF EUROPEAN TRIBES KNOWN AS THE BRIGANTES. AS A GODDESS, SHE PERSONIFIED THEIR LAND AND THEIR NATION. SHE REPRESENTED THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE LAND, AND ANY MALE RULER WAS SYMBOLICALLY MARRIED TO HER. SHE MAY BE EQUATED WITH BRIGID HERSELF AS A BRANCH OF THIS TRIBE LIVED IN THE COUNTY KILDARE WHERE A HIGH PRIESTESS PRESIDED OVER HER CULT CENTER. THIS WAS PROBABLY THE ORIGIN OF SAINT BRIGID'S ASSOCIATION WITH THIS AREA. BRIGANTIA WAS THE CELTIC GODDESS OF THE SUMMER, A SOLAR GODDESS WHO RULED LIGHT AND FIRE.

EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS WIDELY REVERED IN THE CELTIC WORLD, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT BRIGANTIA FROM THE CYMRIC WRITTEN SOURCES, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT SHE IS CLOSELY RELATED TO BRIGID AS GODDESS OF THE LAND. HER AREAS OF CONCERN ARE PROTECTING THE TRIBE AND ENSURING PROSPERITY AND FERTILITY IN THE HOME. WHEN THE ROMANS DESCRIBE HER, SHE RESEMBLES THE GODDESS, MINERVA WHO PERFORMED A SIMILAR ROLE IN ROMAN WORSHIP. THE BRIGANTES WERE A POWERFUL GROUP OF TRIBES WHO MANAGED TO HOLD OFF THE ROMANS FOR YEARS...SO IT IS ONLY NATURAL THAT THEIR GODDESS APPEAR AS A FIGURE OF STRENGTH.